Frequently purchased together

Whew, you’re really starting to heat up on your skin up the mountain. Wrist-to-waist zippers on the Norrøna Women’s Lyngen WindStopper Softshell Jacket mean you can practically go sleeveless on the uphill and then have full-jacket, windproof coverage for the ski down.

Have an answer for Jojo?

Impressive

First of all, to address the sizing comments, this is one of those jackets which inspires me to say, "Finally, something that fits." I'm a hair shy of 5'8", 110 lbs. Slender, long arms, broad shoulders, long torso (and roughly 34-27-37), so it's hard to find women's clothes (of any kind) that fit. In this, I wear a small and have room for layering, don't feel like I'm swimming in it with only a base layer, and don't feel constricted with a Power Stretch-level fleece and a synthetic insulation layer such as the Atom SV (from their Canadian competition). (I'm not sure I'd do down underneath, just because the loft could be a tad compromised unless it was a fairly lightweight/thin down sweater, but I've fit a Lyngen 750 under this, also size small, but it's more appropriate to put that *over* it.) And I can stretch my arms and my wrists stay covered. If this doesn't happen it's pretty much a deal-breaker for me. With my arms at my sides these sleeves almost reach my knuckles. Given what this jacket is designed for, generously-long sleeves make sense in any case. My point is that they're even generous for someone like me, whose wingspan is slightly longer than my height.

This jacket is brilliantly designed. It takes some getting used to the pocket positions, but if you investigate you'll find that unzipping the pit zips from the waist up reveals two mesh drop pockets at hand-level (and two deeper ones inside above those). The only thing I'd change here is to make them slightly deeper, because I like to drop an object in them occasionally, and it would feel a little more secure to do so.

And the only other thing I've noticed is that a good downpour *can* wet out the fabric and make it feel a little colder if it's cold enough outside and your insulation layer is thin, but after about twenty minutes of this that was all I noticed. It was still dry inside, and it only happened in the shoulder area (probably about a month after I bought it, so the DWR had had a little time to wear, though it hasn't really taken a beating yet). Obviously this is not intended to be waterproof, but unless it's pouring, so far I have had no trouble going out here in Seattle in our typical drizzle.

The hood does exactly what a hood should do, and the wire brim doesn't seem like it's easy to bend out of an appropriate shape (and I love how much less fiddling is required to keep a good shape around one's face when it's cinched down, because of this wire).

And the pit zips. If you love pit zips, then look no further. Calling them "pit" zips is a bit of an understatement, since they run from the wrists to the waist. As someone who needs a lot of ventilation sometimes, this is the feature that got me to try this soft shell in the first place. At full price. It's worth every penny. It'd be nice if Backcountry would carry the blue as well, but caviar is as another reviewer described--the zippers are gray. It looks quite tasteful.

Comment on dep4268494's review »

good enough

This jacket does run small, and luckily I'm xxs and the xs fits me fine....The black caviar doesn't come with blue zippers, the zippers are actually gray. I would've liked the blue zippers (would've appreciated an accurate photo) but hey... it fits.

Update: I changed the review from 3 stars to 5 because I've grown to love this jacket. At first I thought it was slightly overpriced for a shell, but after using it in ridiculous 30 mph winds in 20 degree weather (insulating garment underneath), I have to say that it delivered what was promised. I feel invincible in wind provided I have 2 layers underneath.

Response to comment: Consider myself xxs only because a size 0 in most manufacturers are too large in hip and bust size. My chest circumference is around 28 inches, and most "xs" range around 32-33 inches at the bust.

Have an answer for Melissa?

Awesome Jacket

This is one of the best windproof jackets I have ever bought. I'm a long time user of Mammut (a Swiss brand) and recently started using Norrona products on the recommendation of friends who climb. This is my second Norrona jacket and the quality is excellent. Their sizing is the same as European sizing. I'm a size S in Mammut and a size S in Norrona. I read the reviews prior to purchasing and ordered a M but had to send it back for a S and glad I did. Arm length is great as I have long arms, too.

Comment on aedpad775751's review »

Too small?

In Norway, you hear that if you are going to buy american clothes, you need to go down a size. I don't know if it really is like this, but it may be a reason why the Norrøna clothes are a bit small? Maby smart to check the sizing chart before buying:)

Certainly smaller than North Face or Mountain Hardware. Ordered XS. I am very happy with it! Fits like Patagonia XS fitted soft shells. Length is longer than Patagonia which I consider a positive. I prefer performance wear to be quite fitted as it is warmer and more conducive to movement. If I were ordering it to hack around in (just throw over whatever I happened to be wearing) I would order larger.

Comment on ylv3203504's review »

Review Title

I agree with the girl above. This thing runs small. I ordered it in a medium. It fit pretty well, except it was super tight around my knockers. I'm not a Pamela Andersen by any means. I was stoked on the color, so I sent it back for a large. I think this was cut for a dude even though it looks shapely. Sent the large back too :( If you're going to wear hot pink, its gotta fit right!

Comment on audrey.wil1578604's review »

Review Title

I agree with the girl above. This thing runs small. I ordered it in a medium. It fit pretty well, except it was super tight around my knockers. I'm not a Pamela Andersen by any means. I was stoked on the color, so I sent it back for a large. I think this was cut for a dude even though it looks shapely. Sent the large back too :( If you're going to wear hot pink, its gotta fit right!